Jason Dunn
06-02-2006, 04:00 PM
Let anyone think I was letting Nero 7 off the hook with my look at <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,10485">Nero Vision 4</a>, here's something that drives me absolutely nuts about the latest version of Nero. Their update process in version 6.0 was pretty simple: you'd go into a section of the SmartStart UI, click on "check for updates", and it would show you the version installed on that PC, and the latest version up on their Web site. It wasn't perfect - <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7577">I posted about my frustrations with it earlier</a> - but somehow, incredibly, Nero has managed to make the process even worse. How? I explain with a series of screenshots.<br /><br />First, they've made the update function even harder to find - you have to look under <i>Nero Toolkit</i> then select <i>Nero ProductSetup</i> (someone really needs to tell Nero that NotEverything NeedsToBe MixedCasing WordsClumpedTogether). I'd never think of updating software as being part of setup, but there it is below. So far we're at three clicks - let's keep track just for fun. Better take some <a href="http://corp.aadac.com/other_drugs/the_basics_about_other_drugs/gravol_abcs.asp">Gravol</a> before we start, this is going to get rough.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/nero-update-1.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 1: The ProductSetup screen offers a few choice, but I want to update the software, so I click on Update Your Nero Products ("Modify" is selected by default) then Next. Five clicks so far.</i><br /><!><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/nero-update-2.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 2: Ok, now it's warning me that it needs to connect to the Internet to check for product updates. How else would it check for updates - fax? :roll: I click next - six clicks for our counter.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/nero-update-3.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 3: Holy redundancy Batman! This screen tells essentially the same thing as the previous one, that it needs to connect to the Internet to check for updates, but also adds the fact that parts of the product were installed from "Internet Resources". I bought the software at a store and installed it from a CD. I click next, pushing the click count to seven.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/nero-update-4.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 4: Alright, finally some progress! It's clearly checking for updates. But, wait, what's this? The Connecting</i> step is bolded, giving me the visual indication that it's on that step. So why is there a blue progress bar on <i>Preparing Installation</i>? And why are there empty grey progress bars above and below? What the hell are they trying to indicate? I wait and watch the blue progress bar go from left to right, over and over again. Oh, ok, so it's not really a progress bar, it's some sort of happy-fun-movement-bar that has no bearing on what's really going on. I watch...and watch. This process goes on for a good two full minutes before I click <i>Close</i> and try it again. This time it finishes in about 15 seconds - possibly an overloaded server...on Friday...at 10 pm? The good news is that it doesn't make me click anything before showing me a new screen. Seven clicks and holding.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/nero-update-5.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 5: This screen tells me...what exactly? Yes, I know that updates include bug fixes and updates, but what does that have to do with whether or not there ARE any? I mean, seriously, don't toy with my emotions Nero, do you have updates for me or don't you? I'm seven clicks into this process and now you're teasing me? That's just plain mean. I click OK, hoping for validation. Eight clicks thus far people.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/nero-update-6.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 6: What kind of mind game is this? It takes me back to the first screen - my heart is crushed, there are no updates. Ok, now I just want to get out of this thing, I'm tired of all the teasing. I click close, my finger is getting sore from the ninth click.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/nero-update-7.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 7: WHAT? YES, OF COURSE I WANT TO QUIT THE PRODUCTSETUP. THAT'S WHY I CLICKED CLOSE ISN'T IT? LEAVE ME ALONE YOU VILE LITTLE PROGRAM, YOU'RE MAKING ME HATE YOU. YOU WANT ANOTHER CLICK? FINE, HERE, MY TENTH CLICK FREES ME FROM YOUR DEMONIC CLUTCHES. HAH! FREEDOM!</i><br /><br />And there you have it. A ten-click, confusing process full of redundant information, confusing user interface elements, and ultimately this entire process should be as simple as a single click. Frankly, if I were the Nero product manager that came up with this horribly convoluted system for updates, I'd be ashamed of myself. This is, bar none, the single worst software update system I've ever encountered. The Nero suite of applications may be strong, but this update mechanism must have been designed by the summer intern. I hope they fired him and he's now milking cows.<br /><br /><i>Jason Dunn owns and operates <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, his dog, and sometimes tries to be funny in his articles. Did it work?</i>